World Tankery Cup: Asian Qualifiers
by Crusader322
Summary: Miho and the gang are in for a ride, being selected to represent the country of Japan in the upcoming World Tankery Cup, they will travel around the globe, In the name of friendship, glory, and honor. Befriending foes, experiencing foreign cultures, what could possibly go wrong?
1. Prologue: New Beginnings

**Prologue: New Beginnings**

 **September 20** **th**

 **3:15 am**

 **Somewhere in Siberia**

The prison was in chaos, alarms blazing, officers trying to keep the peace and prisoners taking advantage of the situation. But the T-62 main battle tank that is blasting its way through the walls took rhe center stage.

"This is like shooting fish in a barrel!" shouted a skinny blonde man as he aimed the turret machine gun, bearing it to anyone offering.

"We should be near, that looks like the warden's office," Samogan said while looking at a map.

A door suddenly opened and men in uniform came spilling out. Most of them are carrying AK-12 assault rifles and a few RPG-7 rocket launchers. Meanwhile, an officer is talking to a radio set, asking for reinforcements.

"There is it, the tank!" the officer shouted "We got visual, send backup. We need hel- "but the rest of the message was drowned out by a powerful explosion.

"Targets eliminated, good shooting Sir," the blonde, whose name was Gin, said as the tank's auto-loader loaded a fresh shell into the gun breech.

"No problem, anyway Rakia take a turn here," Samogan ordered to his mute driver, who only responded with only a nod.

"Look out, RPG!" Gins shouted as he saw a man preparing to fire a disposable RPG 22.

The tank screeched into a halt, causing most of its crewmen to fall. The projectile flew to where the tank should have been had it not for Rakia's reflexes.

"That was a close shave, Gin, take out that RPG!" Samogan commanded after getting back on his seat.

"Aye, aye captain," replied the blonde as he showered the shooter with rubber bullets, knocking him out cold.

"Okay, let's go, we still have a job to finish" Samogan ordered as the tank lurched forward.

After a minute of silence, the radio squawked into life and a deep voice came through. "Absinthe here, incoming enemy copters to your position, T minus 15 minutes!" the man on the other end said before cutting off.

"Okay! Double time people," the commander/gunner of the tank announced.

As they crossed a courtyard, they found their path blocked by a BTR-70 armored personnel carrier. The APC began bombarding them with heavy machine gun fire, making the sound of heavy rainfall on their sloped armor.

"Shit, it's an APC!" Gin swore as he swung the machine gun to the new target. "I told you we should have brought live rounds rather than these rubber heads!" He added as the rubber bullets bounce from the steel plates of the carrier.

"The HEAT shells will take care of it" Samogan replied nonchalantly as he took careful aim of the BTR.

"You can't just stand the sight of blood, you scaredy cat" Gin mocked as the tank's 115mm smoothbore cannon fired its round, hitting the APC causing it to explode a fireball.

"Just shut up and continue sweeping the place for stranglers," Samogan replied.

While traveling through the wide corridors of the prison, they came across a white-haired old man crawling on all fours, carrying an RPG 16.

"You bastards! Set him free and he'll kill more with that monstrosity of yours!" The man cursed as he struggled to go to the appropriate firing stance for the rocket launcher.

"Shut up, old man" Gin said as he fired a burst of rubber bullets to the man before the tank tracks crushed the man, spilling his guts and brains out.

After a few more minutes of silence, Samogan announced "We're here." and the tank halted in front of a heavy steel door that is otherwise unmarked except for the label "Prisoner 032201"

"Okay, here goes nothing," he said as he took aim at the steel door.

The cannon of the T-62 spat out a shell once more and blew the steel door off its hinges with a loud report, the threes tank crew waited for the smoke to clear.

"About time you showed up," a man said, stepping out of the smoke slowly. The most noteworthy thing about the man is his eye patch but his evil manic smile takes a close second.

"All three of you did great, especially you Samogan" the man said as he began climbing the tank

"Vodka, it's been an honor sir," Samogan reached out to help the man climb the tank.

"Your arrival is perfect timing too, just in time for the qualifiers. Now it's time to show the world our true strength" Vodka said as he takes his position in the tank's hatch.

"Welcome back commander!" The three others said as they saluted their leader, who, without their intervention should have been incarcerated for the rest of his life.

* * *

 **6:15 am**

 **Kyoto, Japan**

The biting autumn air blew through the school grounds of Sakura Girls' High School, where the trees are nearly done in shedding their leaves. Everything seems normal except that the once unblemished fields of grass were now scared with muddy tank tracks. The sturdy looking buildings are now damaged by misfired shells. And various knocked out tanks are scattered throughout the grounds, their white flags fluttering in the wind.

In the center of the field, a T43 medium tank was surrounded by five other tanks, including an M47 Patton main battle tank. In the cupola of the prototype tank, a girl with long brown hair tied with a white bow stared at an old man in the M47.

"I must say, Ms. Hideyoshi, you and your ragtag group of bookworms have fought well but it all ends now," The man announced with a booming voice. "Surrender now and we'll let you off the hook or get hurt trying to fight a battle in which you will suffer defeat."

"In return will you let us form the club yet again, Mr. Principal?" the girl asked unaware of the cold morning air despite only wearing her pajamas.

"There's nothing I can do about that, a decision has been made. The literature club will still be disbanded." The man gave a long sigh. "Hideyoshi, Monika. Top athlete, honor student, a senior member of the infamous debate club, and one of the best students the school ever had. And guess what? She threw all this away to lead a bunch of misfits, running this so-called "club" at the expense of herself."

"How dare you call my club members a bunch of misfits?! This is the last straw Mr. Principal, we will fight all of you even if it's the last thing we'll do." Monika looked inside the tank. "Sayori, get us out here and Yuri, paint the town red."

"So it seems you have made a decision," the old man said and looked at the other tanks in the formation. "Boys, take them out!"

* * *

 **Edits: 08/10/19**

 **Fixed some grammatical errors and changed the literature club's tank, also Monika's clothes~**


	2. Chapter 1: The Letter

**Chapter 1: The Letter**

 **12:30 pm  
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean**

 **Oarai Girls Academy's Carrier** _ **Zuikaku**_

It was lunchtime, Miho and her group of friends are enjoying lunch until she heard her name being called out by the PA system,

 **ATTENTION CALLING MISS NISHIZUMI PLEASE PROCEED TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL'S OFFICE! AGAIN CALLING MISS NISHIZUMI PLEASE PROCEED TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL'S OFFICE!  
**  
"Sorry, guys I guess I have to go, it looks like the prez needs to discuss something..." Miho said as she began to stand up

"But you didn't even take a bite! At least take an apple with you Miporin!" insisted a girl with orange hair whose name was Saori.

"Fine I suppose a small bite wouldn't hurt," Miho picked up the apple from her tray.

"Say if you don't mind, can I have the rest of your lunch?" asked a tall long black haired girl with an ahoge.

"Hana, you've already eaten your lunch!" Saori fumed.

"No, its fine she can have it," Miho replied as she pushed the tray to Hana.

"No, Miporin don't encourage her!" Saori exclaimed.

In the head of the table, a small black haired girl woke with a start and lets out a yawn so loud that every one of them stared.

"What's it with the ruckus?" the girl said with a start "And why are you all staring at me" she adds as she notices the stare others are giving her.

"Good afternoon Mako-san you've finally woke up" Miho greeted her as she rubs her eyes

"By the way, Nishizumi-dono can I join you on your meeting with the student council?" A fluffy brown haired girl asked.

"Sorry Yukari but the student council explicitly says that-"

 **AGAIN MISS NISHIZUMI, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL'S OFFICE I REPEAT...**

"Sorry, guys I really need to go!" Miho said as she made her way to the student council's office.

 _"Whatever we're about to discuss seems to be important or the student council wouldn't be in such a hurry."_ Miho thiought as she continued to take bites from the apple.

She managed to eat the entire apple, which made her quite full already and she threw the apple core into a corridor waste bin before continuing her walk.

 _"Could it be that MEXT found another way to shut down their school for good?"_ The brunette said to herself grimly one last time as she knocks on the council's door.

The door opens to reveal a meek girl with brunette hair. "Oh Hello Miho-san, come in we've been waiting for you," said a girl, she recognized as Yuzu, the Student Council Vice President.

The student council's office looks like what you expect from an office, a desk, carpeted floor, paintings, and piles of paperwork and a nice view of the grounds below. On a corner of the room, is the flagpole carrying the school flag and on one wall is the victory banner for the 63rd National High School Sensha-do _Tournament_ proudly stands.

"About time you show up, a commander should set a good example you know." A monocled girl snarled with an irritated look on her face.

"Cut her some slack, Kawashima this is an unofficial meeting after all." a small red-headed girl ordered as she sits in a swivel chair behind a heavy wooden desk while munching on dried sweet potatoes.

"Don't call me Momo-chan!" The black haired girl snapped.

"Ummm so what's the urgent matter _kaichou_?" Miho timidly asked as she watched the student council president makes her chair spin while eating her favorite snack.

"This letter arrived earlier this morning in this," Momo announced as she hands Miho an envelope.

The plain white envelope was adorned with a globe with a picture of an early Mark IV tank in it with the letters "Federation Internationale Tankery Association" underneath it.

"This is from the Association, what does the letter say?" Miho asked.

"Yuzu, if you please," Anzu said as she crumpled he empty bag of sweet potatoes and shot it into the wastebasket.

 _Dear Öarai Girls Academy,_

 _If you have received this letter, then your school have shown exceptional skills in the sport of Tankery. We are proud to invite you to the World Tankery Cup: Asian Qualifiers, where you will battle with Asia's best for a spot to compete in the World Tankery Cup, which will be held in your country two years from now. It would be an honor if you can attend the competition. The drawing of the match selections along with the opening ceremony would happen on the October 30_ _in the city of Seoul, South Korea. May you continue to excel in the sport of tankery and may we see you in the October 30th._

"Did Kuromorime receive this kind of letter?" Yuzu asked.

"Well now that I remember it, yes! But it was a long time ago and I think we got eliminated in the first round" Miho replied.

"If a school like Kuromorime got eliminated in the first round, what chance do we have?!" Momo exclaimed with a hint of despair in her voice.

"Well we did beat Kuromorime last year, so I guess we would have a better chance," Anzu said she opens another bag of her favorite treat

"So we only have less than a month before the drawing of slots, what preparations are we going to make?" Miho inquired.

"Well for starters, we are looking possible replacements for the Type 89 since Duck team's I-Go is long overdue for replacement." Yuzu replied.

"Also, the Fisheries Management Department reported that they managed to find a tank inside one of their old herring fishing tanks," Momo added.

"What type of tank is it?" Miho asked.

"We aren't sure yet but we already sent the automobile club to start the recovery process," Anzu said in between munches of her sweet potatoes.

"Who would crew the new tank if we could restore it in time?" Miho asked. "Not to mention how long it will take to train them?" she added.

"Here-"Anzu said as she opened a drawer and threw four folders across the desk-"these four used to be students of Sakura Girls Academy in Kyoto but were expelled recently after causing havoc when they stole one of the school's Sensha-do tanks".

"They must have a good reason to do that," Miho opened the folders, inside are dossiers for each of the four.

* * *

 **Hideyoshi, Monika**

Birthday: September 22

Gender: Female

Blood Type: AB+

Height: 5'3"

Notable Information: Gymnastics champion, Honour Student, President of the literature club

 **Kawamoto, Sayori**

Birthday: December 4

Gender: Female

Blood Type: O-

Height: 5'2"

Notable Information: Vice President of the literature club

 **Akazawa, Yuri**

Birthday: February 9

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A+

Height: 5'5"

Notable Information: Defending champion of the SGHS's Poetry Slam, a member of the literature club.

 **Fujima, Natsuki**

Birthday: August 17

Gender: Female

Blood Type: B-

Height: 4'11"

Notable Information: Winner of the Kyoto Prefecture Baking Competition, a member of the literature club.

* * *

"All of them are members of some sort of literature club?" Miho asked with her eyebrows raised.

"Yes, and from what we can gather, the school decided to close down their club. One of the members, Natsuki in particular, along with another club member, went ahead and stole a tank from the Sensha-do storage room, in protest for what the school administration did. In response, the school mobilized its entire Sensha-do team in pursuit of the stolen tank. The other two decided to help their friends out to survive the onslaught." Anzu replied

"How many tanks did they fight?" Miho inquired.

"From what we have heard, at most 10, including the principal's own private M47 Patton main battle tank, they were outnumbered 10 to 1," Momo butted in.

"Wait, how did a principal manage to his hands on such a fine tank? Miho asked.

"We don't know, anyway the story goes that the lone tank, utilizing the terrain and unorthodox tactics, they managed to beat every single of them before being taken out themselves," Anzu responded.

"And you're telling me that these four didn't have any prior training on tanks?"

"Yup and these four will arrive here within this week, so we can see for ourselves how great they are."

The door suddenly slammed open and Hoshino, one of the automobile club members, stepped into the room bringing sweat and grime with her. "We managed to retrieve the tank and Yukari-san, identified it as a Swedish tank," she said.

"Thank you for your hard work, we'll be down there shortly. We are just wrapping this meeting up" Anzu answered as she stood up from her chair and faced the window panels, turning her back on Miho while the tanned girl made her exit from the room and closed the door behind her. "This discovery just confirms the rumors"

"What rumors?" Miho asked, getting more curious.

"There have been rumors long ago that a few years after the school's first Sensha-do club was closed, a bunch of students founded their own club but didn't bother to get permission from the student council, knowing they will be outright rejected. Using money from their pockets, some even suspected that they embezzled school funds, they managed to buy a few tanks, we aren't sure of how many, but they say it is more than two. There's even a witness seeing them drive those tanks. But one of them snitched the others and that resulted in the largest number of students expelled over a single event in the history of this school." Anzu explained.

"How many of them were expelled?" Miho questioned

"We are looking at around a dozen to thirty students, we tried contacting some of them but they wouldn't respond or else if they did, they say they don't want to talk about it," Momo responded.

"What we know is that they utilized the old laboratory building as a meeting room. We learned that by reading the testimony of the student who snitched but she didn't bother mentioning the number of tanks, their types and their location."

"We figured out that the club got wind of the events and made measures to hide their tracks. The tanks disappeared. Either they were hidden away or sold. The old laboratory building burned down mysteriously but we managed to track a piece of evidence related to them." Anzu pressed a button under her desk.

The bookcase in the office suddenly got split into two to reveal a hidden safe. "Yuzu, if you please," Anzu ordered. "And Miho, this is a secret that wouldn't leave this room, okay?"

"Hai," Miho responded

"Here, it is." Yuzu said, handling the objects with care. The objects were two tiny cylindrical things that fit nicely in the palm of her hands. She kindly gave it to Miho, who after inspecting them, hands them back to Yuzu.

"Those are leg capsules from the First World War. The soldiers attach those to carrier pigeons to relay their message to others. Early tanker crews also used those capsules for communication especially since radios weren't invented yet." Miho explained

"Correct," Anzu said nicely, as she opened a drawer once more and retrieve something from it. "And here is what is inside them." She handed two photographs to Miho, which Miho accepts immediately. "Those are blown up versions of the notes." She said and Miho looked at one of the photographs to see a bunch of jumbled letters.

 **NSRDLVKBCEYWTMIE**

But the second one's readable, unlike the first photo.

 **KEYWORD: TANKERY**

"What do pictures these mean?" Miho questioned while trying to make sense of the letters. "And why do you think we need a keyword?" she asked aloud as she examined the second photo. "I think it is in some kind of code." She put down the two photographs.

"That's what we have been also concluded," Anzu began walking around Miho in circles. "We also knew that one of your friends has recently passed the Radio Operators Exam.

"Who, Saori?" Miho replied, remembering how proud Anko team's radio operator when she managed to get her license.

"Yeah, Miss Takebe, she probably handled codes and ciphers in her studies, especially after the incident with Saunders. Miho smiled as she too remembered the events all too well. Arisa tapping on their comms, the chase that happened afterward, which all accumulated into their victory. "Can you please ask her? But do not take the photographs. It would be very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands." She said with her arm outstretched as she asks Miho give her the photographs.

"Okay, that's all that we have to discuss, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Anzu sits down once again on her swivel chair. "Oh, Kawaisama-chan can you please get the thing? She asks the monocle girl. Momo quickly gives to her a rectangular object. "Here, take this bento box as a sign of good will. Because we called this meeting all of a sudden, you must have missed your lunch," she said as she hands out the box to Miho.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" Miho accepted the box and bowed, preparing to leave, thinking of how she'll excuse herself for being late.

"Also if you're worried about missing classes, we excused all the members of the Sensha-do team not to mention the commander," Anzu said with a smile. "If you don't have any more questions, let us see this tank for ourselves."

* * *

 **My very first (and probably last ) fanfic, please understand that I am quite new here so I'm just learning the ropes. So any comments and reviews are nice not to mention favs and follows. xD**

 **I had this idea for many months now, of a global competition in which Oarai will have to outsmart and outmaneuver enemies from various countries around the world. So I hope that I managed to put in on paper nicely, and thank you for the support.**

* * *

 **Edits: 12/9/18**

 **Fixed some grammar issues and changed the placement of Ōarai's victory banner**

 **Edits: 08/10/19**

 **Again grammatical errors.**


	3. Chapter 2: Needle in the Haystack

**I'm glad you managed to find the time to read the second chapter! Hope you managed to find this chapter interesting and please leave a review (Any review would help boost my ego xD)**

 **P.S: I'll also respond to the questions left behind in the reviews.**

 _1.) So, Oorai has been invited to participate in the World Tankery Cup: Asia Qualifiers that is due to take place in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea._

 _The only question is, what kind of welcoming will they receive from the Koreans? After all, there has been a history of bad blood between Korea and Japan, best-known example the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910 AD to 1945 AD)._

Good observation! Let's just say that the girls wouldn't have it easy.

 **Now back to our regular program!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: Needle in the haystack**

 **12:45 pm**

 **Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean**

 **Oarai Girls Academy's Carrier** _ **Zuikaku**_

A crowd had already gathered in front of the tank shed, possibly curious about the new tank. As Miho and the student council walked closer, they noticed that the crowd was composed of the members of the Oarai's Sensha-do Team.

"I bet it's another German tank," said Erwin, a girl dressed in a German military uniform talking to her other crew members.

"Do you think we will get kouhais?" the Rabbit team, composed of now second-year students, wondered out loud, all except Saki who was busy looking at a butterfly.

"We're lucky that this one isn't a pain to get unlike our Porsche Tiger," Tsuchiya said as she and her teammates stood outside, wiping sweat from their faces.

"Nishizumi-dono, over here!" someone shouted over the din of the crowd and Miho looked for the one calling her and saw a fluffy-haired girl looking out the door. "Yukari, what are you doing there?" Miho asked as she approached the team's tank nut. "I'm examining the new tank and quick, come inside!" she said excitedly.

Miho makes her way inside and sees a 2 and a half meter tall tank covered in algae and barnacles. "According to Suzuki, you identified this as a Swedish tank, right?" Miho asked as she saw Yukari bend over a pile of books, no doubt these were encyclopedias about tanks.

"Yup and I think I've identified which Swedish tank exactly!" she said as she shoved a book to Miho that contained a picture similar to the tank in front of them, although it was much cleaner.

"The errrr… Stridsvagn m/42 EH? Miho pronounced as she read the name of the tank.

"Yup and I'd difficulty in identifying this one because of the relative rareness of Swedish tanks in the battlefield hence I thought we wouldn't be encountering them!" Yukari said.

The door suddenly opened and the rest of the Anglerfish Team, arrived in the form of Hana, Saori, and Mako, the last of which is sleeping snugly on the back of Saori.

"Saori, perfect timing, I need your help," Miho said as she looked for a piece of paper to write on.

"Anything for you Miporin, just get this off me first," she tried to shake the girl on her back awake. Meanwhile, Miho looked for a scratch paper and a pencil, which Yukari kindly gave.

Miho quickly wrote the jumbled letters and the keyword on paper and showed it to the orange haired girl, who put on her glasses to see the message more clearly.

"Uhmmm I don't understand Miporin... I'm sorry," the girl said as she removed her glasses.

"Vigeneire... Use Vigeniere," the girl on the back of Saori mumbled before going back to sleep.

"That's it, I remembered! Saori exclaimed as she gently sets down the girl on her back before seizing the paper and began solving it. A few minutes after she began, she looked up and announced, "Done!" and gave the paper back to Miho, which she read immediately.

"Use the Microscope, that doesn't make any sense," Miho said as she scanned what Saori decoded.

The door opened once again and the other members walked inside the tank sheds. Most of them are at awe at the new tank but a few are walking their way to their respective tanks.

Someone cleared their throat loudly and many others, including Miho, looked for the source. Standing on top of a crate is Anzu, but the crate doesn't really supplement the Student Council President's lack in height.

"Gather round! Gather round! Gather around people!" she announced motioning for the members to come closer. "This tank right here-" she motioned to the newfound tank –" proves the rumors." A lot of whispers came flying, their source can't be found.

"What rumors?"

"What is that tank even?"

"What is she talking about?"

"Momo, get the heavy pump hose!" Momo immediately complied and gave the hose to Anzu, which the small redhead aimed at the turret. "Yuzu, turn it on!" Instantly the water pumped out of the hose and hit the tank with full force, removing some of the algae coating the armor of the tank. She kept the hose on until the entire turret of the tank is algae-free. "Turn it off," she said as she hands the hose to her P.R.O.

"If you will look right here, you will see this strange logo right here," she said. Miho herself noticed the red roundel with a tank shell crossing the circle vertically with the letters O.T.C. underneath it, all of which was stenciled in the tank's turret.

"This is the logo of the Ōarai Tankery Club or OTC for short. If you don't know 'Tankery', it is the English equivalent of our Sensha-do. Anyhow, the OTC was established a few years after the original Sensha-do club was disbanded, this new club was privately funded by the members and operated in secrecy, but they were found out and expelled." Anzu explained.

"Now we believe that they have leftover equipment that we can use, we will now send all of you in a clue hunt in the search of OTC equipment. All groups will join in the hunt, except our group, because we will be the one to coordinate this search mission and the automobile club because they still have work to do" she stated. "The grouping will be, Anglerfish Team, you will be Search Party #1, you will look at the old laboratory building. Rabbit Team, you will be Search Party #2, you will the one to check again the old club buildings. Hippo Team, your team will be Search Party #3, you explore the forests around the school. Duck Team will be Search Party #4 and will investigate the school's storage shed. Mallard and Anteater Team combined will be Search Party #5 and will poke around town and look for things of interest." Anzu announced.

"Yuzu here will give you maps if you need them, and remember to radio in if you find something. Do your best and remember no slacking off. Good luck!"

A resounding chorus of "Hai!" echoed around the tank shed and everyone was off.

* * *

Rabbit Team had the least amount of time going to their search area since the volleyball team along with Miho and Mako went there before. They stumbled through the old derelict wooden buildings, shattered glass and other assorted trash litter inside and outside the building.

"This place gives me the chills," Ayumi began as she peered into every window, watching out for sharp glass.

"We'll be in and out in no time," replied Azusa. "We should search every room thoroughly too" she added.

After an hour of scourging every room, along with an incident involving a dead rat, the girls are on a dead end.

"One last room," Azusa said as she opened the door revealing a room with a thick layer of dust and bunch of boxes pressed against the wall.

"I don't think we can find any clues here." Karina opened the windows to let some fresh air in.

"Come on guys we can do this." Aya started walking towards the boxes

The girls immediately started attacking the boxes, opening all of them to look for things of interest

"Found anything guys?" Azusa asked as she stood up from the box she was scourging.

"Nope," Yuuki said as she slammed the door to a cabinet shut.

"Oh, look at this," Karina held up a small rusty bronze statue of a blindfolded woman holding a sword in one hand and a scale in another.

"Ah it's hopeless, we just wasted our time," Ayumi despaired.

"Maybe we should get back," Yuuki suggested as she closed a drawer in the teacher's desk.

Aya felt a soft tapping from her back and turned around to see Saki. "Quiet, guys Saki-chan has something to say." She said and the others looked at the quiet meek girl expectedly.

"Cannon," Saki said while pointing upwards.

The other girls looked to where she is pointing and finds a 77mm HV Gun among the ceiling beams.

"Wow! Saki-chan, you're a genius!" Aya cheered.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Anglerfish Team had the most amount of trouble going to their location. The seclusion of the old laboratory building, not to mention the place being roped off didn't make their job easier.

"Ah, we should have brought the tank," Saori exclaimed in frustration as she hiked the way with a sleeping Mako on her back.

"Too late for that, and where's your sense of adventure?" Yukari said as she led the way, with a machete in hand, cutting a way through the thick foliage.

"Don't worry guys we're almost there," Miho announced as she looked at the map given to her by Yuzu before they left.

"I wish we could have encountered more flowers," Hana, the ikebana master, said as she was holding a bundle of daffodils.

The group walked more for a few minutes before finally seeing the old laboratory building. It was a long single-story brick building; a part of it collapsed due to the subsequent fire started by the Tankery club but otherwise, it looked safe. Vines had run down to the wall and glass windows had long been broken.

"Are you sure it is safe to enter?" Saori asked as she warily looked at the burned building.

"I think so," Yukari stepped inside the building.

The inside of the building was not much better. The devastation of the fire was more seen inside with the walls being singed and a few laboratory equipments inside burned to crisp. On one of the worktables sat an old microscope, exposed to the elements.

"Hey didn't that message Saori decoded said something about a microscope?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, here goes nothing." Saori peered into the eyepiece. "Huh, I don't see anything."

"Lemme try!" Yukari said. "Yeah, I don't see a thing too."

"I'm gonna show you how it's done," The sleepy girl said as she begins to operate the equipment. As she moved the mirror, a beam of light got reflected into a nearby wall mirror, which reflected it into a shiny steel ball before being reflected into a specific brick on the wall.

"Whoa, that's amazing! "Yukari exclaimed.

"I think we should push it," Miho said as she pushed the brick. A section of the floor moved, accompanied with the creaking of gears, revealing a passageway to a hidden basement. "Any of you got a flashlight?" she asked as she tried to make something out in the darkness.

"Here." Yukari handed over a single flashlight to Miho, which Miho used to reveal a long set of stairs going down.

"That sure is dark," Hana said as she looked at the darkness.

"Here goes nothing," Miho huffed as she went downstairs with a flashlight in hand.

"Come on, let's go," Saori said as she began to walk towards the staircase but was promptly stopped by the girl on her back.

"I'm ma..ma….sca….sca…scared of gho…ghosts!" Mako said, suddenly awake and holding Saori back.

"Oh come on," Saori exclaimed while pulling Mako, ignoring the latter's pleas. The pair of them went in, with Hana bringing up the rear. The corridor's lined with bricks and puddles are filling up the floor.

"This is like the inside of the ship, except for the bricks," Saori commented

"Yeah, it is" Yukari replied. A bang echoed around the corridor and Yukari found herself hugging Miho and screaming out in surprise.

"It's all alright," Hana reassured them as she walked past them.

"Isuzu-dono is really brave," Yukari said after she broke her embrace with Miho.

"Déjà vu," Mako whispered

The Ankou team turned a corner and came across lines of barbed wires blocking.

"Oh no, something's on the way," Miho said

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Hana said as she held a pair of pliers in her hand, and after a few quick snips, she managed to clear the blockage.

After a minute of walking without incident, the five saw a heavy oak door, around it, are some sandbags, a pile of pallets and a few rusty drums.

"It's locked," Saori said, trying out the door.

"This looks like the job for Mr. Tater Masher," Yukari said as she fished out her handy Stielhandgranate and with a help of a little of string, she managed to attach it to the doorknob. Making sure that her teammates are safely hidden behind cover, Yukari said, "On the count of three, Three Two, One!" Yukari counted as she pulled the detonation pin from the grenade and quickly joined her friends behind cover.

The loud bang was heard by the four and they all looked up to see the results, but the subsequent dust kicked up by the explosion prevented that. A few seconds after however, they managed to see the door, or what was left of it. The oak door was clearly blown off its hinges, the grenade had done its job too well.

"Wow, that was quite effective," Hana said as she surveyed the scene.

"It was a miracle the tunnel didn't cave in," Mako commented.

"We should enter no-"Miho was saying when she was interrupted by a gunshot and someone shouting. "Don't move, we shoot."

* * *

The hot afternoon sun scorched the Hippo Team as they walked through a pathway in the school's forest. The tree's shade was not enough to block away from the heat of the great burning ball of fire.

"I think the direction we are going to is wrong," Saemonza said while holding a compass to make sure they are going in the right direction.

"No, my divination has never been wrong," Caesar said, defending her divination.

"How long will we have to suffer?" Erwin looked into the map once again.

"This is like the Sandakan Death March," Saemonza said as she gulps the last of her water from her field canteen.

"No, more like the Long March." Oryou fanned herself furiously.

"No, this is the Bataan Death March." Erwin wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"That's it!" the other three exclaimed, exhausted from the heat.

"I-I can't take this anymore," Oryou said as she lied down on a big pile of bushes. But instead of the quiet rustle of leaves, her head made contact with a metal object that makes a loud "twang!" Her other group mates immediately crowded around her and Saemonza helped her up. "Ow, that hurts," Oryou rubbed her head.

They all investigated the thing that made the noise and hidden in the bushes is the wing of a crashed Fouke Wulf 190A fighter plane, strapped under the wing is an MK103 auto-cannon. The four kneeled down to examine the object,

"Guderian would love to see this" Erwin said as she thought of the fluffy haired girl who accompanied her in the scouting against Pravda.

"Yeah and that cannon looks deadly," Saemonza added as she stroked the barrel of the autocannon.

"If the wing is here the rest of the aircraft must be nearby," Caesar stood up.

After a few minutes of searching, the four had found the rest of the aircraft. Out of the blue, Erwin shouted, "Hey guys look at this!" She dug up a used white parachute with a red circle in the middle.

"So if there's an airplane here with a used chute buried nearby, someone must have a good reason to do so," Oryou said as she brought out her phone, ready to call the student council.

"I think someone tried to invade the carrier," Caesar said.

"I think an air battle took place here," Saemonza offered.

"No, someone must have tried to build a dogfighting team," Erwin claimed.

"That's it!" the other three exclaimed.

* * *

In the darkness of the storage shed, the Duck Team's flashlights shone through the darkness, lighting the way through, helping the four volleyball players in their search. Akebi waved her flashlight at a pile of objects, looking for something of interest when something caught her eye. "Look at this!" she said as she picked up a dusty old volleyball, bounced it on the floor to test it. "Here it comes! "She shouted as she served the ball to Noriko, who then hits the ball so hard that it causes a rusty cupboard to fell down with a loud boom, kicking up dust.

"That was awesome!" Shinobu exclaimed after coughing because of the dust. She then beamed her flashlight to the cupboard before she noticed the door. "Hey guys, take a look at this!"

"What is it?" Taeko asked as she set down the Fubuki-class destroyer in a bottle she was examining.

"This," Shinobu said as she pointed her flashlight at the door, drawing the attention of the others. "What do we do?" she asked her teammates.

"We should enter it!" Noriko said and before any of them could react, she backed out and screaming "Guts!" she rushed the door hard, slammed it with her shoulder, causing it to open.

The door revealed a long dark corridor and without a word, all of them filed one by one through the door. After a short walk, a large room came into few. Noriko fumbled for a switch and pressed it. The light quickly came on, slightly blinding the four and allowing them to see the contents of the room. On a center of the room laid a 7.5cm PAK 40 tank gun and around it were a few bulldozer blades, along with the camouflage nets, radio sets, and sandbags that filled the entire room.

* * *

The combination of Mallard Team and Anteater Team or Search Party #5 have been roaming around town. Although Anzu's joining these two teams might have been a disaster in the making.

"Maybe we should just go home," Nekota said, walking while her face was on her phone.

"Remember no slacking off and why aren't you three wearing the proper uniform?" Sodoko bereted the girls for not wearing an undershirt.

"It's too hot and we're not even inside the school now." Piyotan reasoned out.

"That's not the point!" Pazomi joined in.

The four continued arguing while walking through town, while Momogawa was busy playing "World of SPG" on her phone, with only Goyomo actually doing the assigned task.

The group turned a corner and something caught Goyomo's eyes.

"Uhhhmmm guys," Goyomo meekly said.

"What?!" screamed the four who were busy arguing.

"Look at that," Goyomo pointed out and Sodoko immediately took out her phone. At the edge of the roof, hanged an 8.8 cm KwK 36 cannon that had been used as a rain gutter.

* * *

"Thank you for your hard work," Yuzu said as she put the phone down. "That was search party #5, that's about everyone except Ankou Team" She added.

"So found no new tanks although we found a crashed airplane, an anti-tank gun, a few dozer blades, some camouflage nets, a 77mm HV cannon and an 8.8cm KwK 36 cannon. Although Ankou team's still unaccounted for," Anzu summarized as she munched on dried sweet potatoes.

"That crashed airplane sure sounds interesting. I wonder if OTC tried to build a squadron too." Yuzu said as she marked the plane on the map pinned to the wall.

"What will we do with those dozer blades, not to mention those cannons?" Momo asked as she looked into her clipboard.

"I have a bright idea!" Anzu exclaimed as she stood up from her chair. "Yuzu, where is the old body of our 38(t)? And Momo-chan can you rally the students up later?"

"Say prez, do you think it's strange that Anglerfish team hasn't called yet?" Yuzu asked, getting worried about the five-girl group

"Nah, don't worry, they can handle themselves, they'll be back in no time" Anzu waved her off with a dried sweet potato in hand.

* * *

 **10:00 am**

 **Tokyo, Japan**

 **JSDF Main Headquarters**

Somewhere inside the headquarters of the Japanese Self-Defence Force, Ami Choumi started her day. After getting her cup of coffee from her secretary, she immediately addressed the large pile of paperwork on her desk.

"Permission letter on the approval of using the M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyers on Sensha-do matches from Saunders University," she said reading the topmost paper on her desk. "Those persistent bunch, just because that Tsugi approved that opened top vehicle, doesn't mean I should too," she mumbled to her herself as she stamps the word "REJECTED" into the paper and setting it aside.

Next, she picked up a manila envelope labeled, "Anzio Girls High School." and opened it. Inside was a blueprint for one "P43 Heavy tank, a photograph of its 1:10 wooden model, and a letter asking for its approval, Choumi went ahead and see if the prototype vehicle is within the rules and when she is satisfied, she stamps "ACCEPTED" into the envelope.

A small plain white envelope caught her eye and she took her letter opener and slipped it open. After quickly reading the letter from the Japanese Sensha-do Federation, she pressed the button for her secretary and said, "Please call Mr. Kenzaki and Ms. Harukaze to my office now." She cleared her desk and prepared for one long day.

* * *

 **Phew, another chapter down pat. This one is slightly longer than the current word count of the story xD**

 **Like I said before, any reviews are appreciated with favs and follow also favored.**

 **I'll try my best to present the next chapter this year. (December will be one heck of a month for me xD)**

* * *

 **Edit: 03/22/19**

 **Corrected some grammatical errors and also Happy Birthday to me lmao**


	4. Chapter 3: Something New

**Chapter 3: Something new**

 **September 25th  
9:00 am  
Yellow Sea St. Gloriana Girls College's Carrier **_**Ark Royal**_

Darjeeling looked out the hatch of her Churchill infantry tank, as she watched the new Valentine tanks in the shooting range, a teacup in hand. "Tell me Orange Pekoe, what do you think of the new tanks?" she asked the orange haired girl who watched the training from inside, using the tank's telescopic sights.

"I think they would do great Darjeeling-sama." the Churchill's loader looked at her blonde commander.

"Emma!" Someone called and Darjeeling looked around to find its source. A blonde haired girl was walking gracefully towards her, her hair loose unlike hers which is tied in a French braid. When she came closer, Darjeeling noticed her purplish eyes, which locked with hers as the girl in question continued to approach her.

"Frances, I thought I said that we would not call each other by our names" she scolded, whispering. "So Assam, what do I owe you the pleasure?" she said aloud for the benefit of Orange Pekoe inside.

"Okay then, Ms. Darjeeling, I bring you the news that Oarai has received a letter from the International Federation." She handed her tablet to Darjeeling, which the latter accepted immediately.

"Well, it's only a matter of time in my opinion. How about we sent our regards to them?" she handed the tablet back to Assam.

"Yes, I thi-"she began but she was interrupted by a loud rumbling of an engine coming from a distance and the loud screams of "Darjeeling-sama!" that came from a redheaded girl violently waving her arms, closing the distance fast with her speedy Crusader Mk VI tank. Assam couldn't help but sigh, while Darjeeling looked on.

The tank skidded into a stop, mere inches from the Churchill tank, and the Rosehip jumped out. "Darjeeling-sama, is it true?! Oarai got the letter-" she would have said more if Assam didn't cover her mouth.

Orange Pekoe popped her head out of the tank and began to scold the redhead. "Rosehip, we do not talk about that here, and you almost collided with our tank, where are your lady-like manners?

" _Sumimasen_." Rosehip bowed down, her orange eyes filled with remorse.

"Orange Pekoe that's enough, now Rosehip I hope you'll be more careful in the future and to answer your question, yes it is true, Oarai did get the letter." Darjeeling sipped her tea once more.

Silence ensued in the group but it was soon broken by the hum of another engine, this time coming from the shooting range. One of the Valentine XI tanks was marching its way towards the four, its 6 pounder gun looking very deadly as the tank continued to steadily approach the group. As the tank came into a stop, more gracefully than the Crusader did, a girl with long brown hair tied in a braid came out of the hatch and jumped down to the grass, her hair bobbing up and down as she moved.

"Well, this looks like quite the gathering, say are we going to watch the match?" She asked, trying to break the silence.

"What match Rukuriri?" both Orange Pekoe and Rosehip asked.

"An exhibition match with Kuromorime and Jatsokta going against a Pravda-Saunders coalition," Darjeeling answered, much to the surprise of both Rukuriri and Assam, who had their mouth open to answer the very question.

"How did you two know?" Assam asked the two, curious since it wasn't exactly an open event.

"I have my source," Rukuriri smiled slyly. Meanwhile, Rosehip and Orange Pekoe went back inside their respective tanks and quickly came back, bringing with them their teapots and teacups.

"Kay called me in advance; I assume you got yours from your intel gathering?" Darjeeling answered. Orange Pekoe went back inside the Churchill once more and came out with a platter of scones, crumpets and other finger food.

"Yup, I also heard that Kuro will try out a brand new tank in the match, along with a new line-up" Assam looked at her notes. Rukuriri got a large picnic blanket from her tank and laid it on the grass.

"Will we go, Darjeeling-sama?" Orange Pekoe asked as she eyed Rosehip warily as the redhead rapidly drank and refilled her teacup.

"Yup and you four will join me," Darjeeling replied, sitting down on the blanket, biting on a small caramel petit fours.

"Why did they even change their line-up?" Rosehip asked, her face stuffed with strawberry scones.

"Have you heard this saying before? " _To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often,"_ Darjeeling replied as she surveyed the little picnic happening right now.

"I guess the same can be said to us," Orange Pekoe said, while she buttered a crumpet using a silver butter knife.

"Can we have another match with Oarai?" Rukuriri asked, wanting to get revenge on that sneaky Type 89.

" _You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war."_ Darjeeling quoted, sipping Earl Grey from her cup.

The brown haired girl gave a dumbfounded look, waiting for an explanation, but Orange Pekoe shot her a "get used to it" look.

The little picnic was disturbed when Rosehip quickly entered her tank and zoomed off, muttering "I've got to pee, I've got to pee."

Orange Pekoe and Assam can't help but sigh, while Rukuriri stifled a giggle. Darjeeling only held out her hand and quietly whispered, "Rosehip, come back."

* * *

 **10:00am  
Port of Fukuoka, Japan** **Kuromorimine Girls Academy's Carrier** _ **Graf Zepplin**_

The screeching of seagulls, along with the waves crashing to the side of the massive _Graf Zepplin_ aircraft carrier washed out the sound of more than a dozen armored vehicles traveling on the concrete slip port on the busy port of Fukuoka. On the second tank of the convoy, a Tiger I with the serial number 212, a short brown haired girl looked out of her tank's hatch.

"Are the preparations for the upcoming match ready Erika?" she asked the long white haired girl on the tank on her right flank, a larger Tiger II.

"Yes Miss Nishizumi, the tanks you have requested are up and running," the girl replied.

"Very good, it took a while to convince Mother but it was worth it." The browned haired girl or Maho took out her notebook and muttered to herself. "With the win of Miho, the way of Senshado changed forever. The use of heavy tanks has long been obsolete and Oarai winning the 63rd National Senshado Tournament was the final nail to its coffin. Kuromorime has long been depended on them, phasing them out would be an impossible task; the best I can do is limit its use. The need for a fast and flexible plan would also have to be the norm, a plan that can take on the unexpected turn of events. Those who are on the receiving end of it will be swept off their feet."

"Uhmmm Kommandant?" Erika called out, anxious to interrupt her commander's thoughts.

"Yes, Erika?" Maho replied, looking at her vice commander.

"Koume has a question for you." Erika shied away, knowing better not to question the Kommandant's orders. The girl in question suddenly appeared on the Tiger's left flank, riding her brand new Panther II.

"Ms. Nishizumi, I know your recent changes in our line-up included mothballing the heavy tank destroyers, mainly the Elefant and the Jadgtiger, along with the super-heavy tank, the Maus. My question is where does switching out my old Panther for this much heavier Panther II fit in your plan to limit the school's heavy tanks?" the girl asked as her short reddish-brown hair got blown by the morning sea breeze.

Maho looked at her Deputy Commander and Erika began. "The Panther II maybe is heavier than the Panther but with its improved engine the former can go faster and is more mobile than the latter." The white-haired girl pointed to the Panther II's turret. "It also incorporates the _Schmalturm_ turret, which not only removes the shot trap of the original tank but also allows a better gun elevation, with the addition of being able to mount a stereoscopic rangefinder. And did I mention the overall thicker armor?" Erika finished, and she looked at Maho to wrap it all up.

"Yes, I knew you loved your "Kitty", but sacrifices must be made." Maho ended, bemused by her one of her tank commanders giving her personal tank a nickname.

"Thanks for enlighting me Herr Kommandant." Koume smiled, now knowing her and her tank's role in the school's new overall strategy.

"Commander!" a shout came from behind.

Maho turned around and saw a brown-haired girl wearing the Kuromorime Senshado jacket and cap, riding on her Jagdpanther tank destroyer, "What is it tank commander Miyuki?"

"I would also like to ask a question to you," the Jagdpanther commander said, lowering her cap as a sign of respect to her commander.

"Fire away, Jagdpanther commander," Maho replied.

"Why do we have to go through basic training again?" Miyuki shuddered remembering the track replacement training, a thing she already knew from memory, especially the fact how heavy the tracks are.

"The re-trainings were there to assess the individual capabilities of each tank commanders, especially when the formation happens to break so that each and every tank commander can react properly and execute their missions properly until a chance to regroup is found."

"Commander I can't help but hear the chatter and I would also like to ask a question of my own." the small bespectacled girl turned around, who was riding the lead tank of the convoy, a Panzer III Ausf. J.

"Go ahead tank commander Aoi," Maho said, doing away with the traditional way of just recognizing a tank with just numbers and instead of having the tank commander's name be the call sign.

"How did the upcoming exhibition match came to be? I mean it's normal for us to have a match with Jatsokta but against Pravda and Saunders? Aoi asked.

"Interesting question, Panzer III commander, I'll let my Deputy Commander answer that question. Maho answered, looking at her snowy haired vice-captain.

"Uhmmmm it started with me forgetting to encode the match request to Jatsokta on the Enigma machine, the Americans seemed to pick it up and wanted to join. And before you know it, even Pravda came to join in." Erika nervously explained, recalling her blunders leading to these events.

The others nod in affirmation, worried since they knew that in a years' time, Erika will be the one to lead them.

"I hope this will be a lesson to you Vice-Captain and to the others too, especially when I will depart for Germany," Maho said hoping to leave some lasting word on her team before leaving.

The convoy traveled the rest of the way to the training grounds quietly, deep in thought or nervous for the upcoming match, who knows?

* * *

 **10:00 am**  
 **81km from the island of Iwo Jima Anzio Girls High School's Carrier** _ **Aquilla**_

On the stern side of _Aquilla_ , away from the Colosseum and the Spanish Steps, students of Anzio Girls High School are laboring on the fields. A dozen CV 33 tankettes are marching across the field, plows in pull, followed by another dozen tankettes dropping seeds into the plowed field while pulling hoes behind them, burying the seeds. On the edge of the fields, a few Carro Armato M13/40 light tanks sprayed blasts of water at the seeds.

Meanwhile riding on a Camioneta AS 42 Sahariana reconnaissance vehicle, a girl with a long pale green hair tied into twin ponytails surveyed the fields while holding her iconic black crop. With her are her two subordinates, Pepperoni, a black haired girl, who wore her short hair in pigtail on the left side and spiky on the right and Carpaccio, a blonde girl. The former held a megaphone, shouting at anyone not working while the latter drove the vehicle.

"I hope this venture works, Duce," Carpaccio said, addressing the green haired girl.

"Of course this will work, the Duce has never failed us before," Pepperoni remarked.

The Sahariana recon vehicle turned a corner and saw a different scene, rows of trellises, filled with grapevines. Dozens of students are among the plants, picking the ripe grapes and putting them in baskets. Once the baskets were filled, the girls placed them on modified CV 33 tankettes to be taken to the crusher, a machine made from old tank tracks, which will crush the grapes to transform them into juice.

"Can't we just make wine instead?" Pepperoni asked, longing to enter the world her older siblings described.

"That would be costly and alcohol isn't a thing a minor should touch," Carpaccio remarked.

The vehicle stopped in front of one of the newly built buildings, the glassmaking workshop. Inside, furnaces blazed to melt sand while long blowpipes are used to blow the then molten glass to its shape. On another side of the buildings, girls hand paints the vases with colorful designs. A girl suddenly approached Anchovy and smartly saluted her and said, "Requesting permission to have an audience with the Duce?"

"Permission granted," Anchovy replied, recognizing the girl as one of the new recruits named Tiramisu, a bespectacled black haired girl, who was the new commander of the CV-33 tankette group, which was Pepperoni's previous post before she got to command the brand new M16/43 group.

"Duce, the modifications you asked for in the truck has been made by the automotive club. The cooking club has also stocked the ingredients requested by Ms. Pepperoni." The brown haired girl read off her clipboard.

"Any news on the docu-"Anchovy was saying when a large crowd of people swarmed around her.

"Duce, I'm from the fashion club and we would like you to try out our newly designed dress." A girl said as she waved a dress in front of Anchovy.

The other girls carried plates, while some are ash-faced while there's a couple of them who are covered with mud. But all of them wanted one thing: Duce's attention.

"Duce, I'm the art club, we have finally finished making the new decoys for the new tanks, could you take a look at it?"

"Duce, I'm from the automotive club, we managed to assemble the noise maker you requested, and we would like you to watch its first field test."

"Duce, one of the tankettes broke down in the middle of the field."

"Duce, can we now increase the snack budget again?"

"Duce, how fast do we have to be to skip our tankette on water?"

"Duce, can you please taste the brand new recipe for our baked ziti,"

"Duce, two of the new Sahariano tanks crashed into each other.

"Duce, I bring news-"

A loud rumbling came from a distance and effectively silenced the crowd. A girl, whose name was Mozzarella, holding a wrench poked her head outside the hatch of her P40 Heavy Tank, "Duce, we managed to repair your tank!" the girl cheerfully said, although Anchovy wondered how they knew how to operate her tank and if they would be a suitable crew if the proposed tank got approved by the Federation. The heavy tank came into a stop in front of the crowd, who was in awe of the massive war machine.

Anchovy stood on top of the tank and ordered, "Attention! For those who have questions about tanks you may request help from Pepperoni." She motioned to her black haired girl who put on her tanker helmet, ready for action. "Meanwhile those asking for advice in regards to extra-curricular matters, Carpaccio can be of help." The blonde shyly waved her hands. "Only those with very important news can approach me," she said as she slipped down from the tank.

Only one girl dared to approach her, a girl named Linguine, whose long red hair echoed further by her ember red eyes, served as a reminder of her burning passion for her new work, serving as the head of Anzio's newly established Intelligence Agency, the so-called, _Servizio Informazioni Militari_ or the Military Information Service.

"Duce, we finally managed to unscramble the phone call of the commander of Saunders, Kay-san, to the commander of St. Gloriana's, Darjeeling-san, here's a transcript of their conversation." The ginger handed over her clipboard to her commanding officer.

"A closed exhibition match, huh? This is a perfect time to go test the new truck, Linguine, thank you for your hard work." Anchovy said as she returned the clipboard.

* * *

 **11:00 am  
Sea of Okhotsk Pravda Girls College's Carrier **_**Kiev**_

The cold draft of wind blows through the still sleepy carrier of Pravda, as the _Kiev_ plows through the small chunks of icebergs off the coast of Russia. Inside one of the buildings in the _Little Kremlin_ , a small child slept like an angel while she was being nudged awake by what seems to be her mother.

"It's so cold, I don't want to practice, can't we just sleep?" the child said as she turned around in bed.

"Sure you can Katyusha if you want us to be beaten by Kuromorime and Jatkosota," the tall girl said whose name was Nonna. Someone knocked on the door of the bedroom and she immediately opened it to see a blonde girl in a maid outfit holding a tray filled with assorted breakfast food.

" _Is she awake?_ " the blonde asked Nonna in another language, which was Russian.

" _Not yet, and thanks for helping me Comrade Klara,_ " she took the tray and placed in on the bedside table.

" _No problem Comrade Nonna, how do you like our chances in the upcoming exhibition match against Kuro and Jatkosota anyway?_ " the blonde asked as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.

" _I think we'll do fine, even if we are paired up with Saunders._ " Nonna nudged Katyusha awake again and switched to her mother tongue again. "Katyusha, breakfast is here," she gently said and the girl slowly sat up in bed.

"Nonna, Klara, how many times do I have to tell you to speak Japanese? Katyusha said as she wiped her eyes.

" _She looks so cute when she's so angry,_ " Klara commented.

" _Agreed,"_ Nonna replied in Russian and then switched again. "Here you go, eat up while it is still hot," she hands Katyusha the tray which contains a bowl of kasha or buckwheat porridge with a glass of hot milk, along with utensils and napkins.

"Nonna, Klara? Were you even listening to what I said?" she berated as Nonna scooped some porridge and blew on it to make it less hot before she fed it to Katyusha. "What are you two talking about anyway?" she added.

"Klara was telling me a story," she replied.

"Oh, about what?" she asked as she drank from the glass of milk.

"About how in a place she visited, late sleepers got thrown into a lake or into the sea," Nonna said nonchalantly.

Katyusha blew the milk she was drinking and asked, "Nani?!" while both Nonna and Klara laughed.

"Let me help you with that," Nonna attempted to wipe the spilled milk from Katyusha's face, much to the latter's protests, while Klara watched from afar. A set of knocking interrupted the three, much to the dismay of Nonna and Klara. "I'll get it," Klara said as she walked to open the door.

The door opened to reveal a small girl wearing an ushanka while cowering in fear as she received looks of daggers from the two tall girls. "I'm very sorry but I bear news," she said, avoiding the eyes of both Nonna and Klara.

"What is it, Nina?" Katyusha asked, thankful for the distraction. "Did the new SU-100 arrive?" she added, hoping to see the newest addition to Pravda's arsenal.

"No, milady, I bring to you the news that Oarai has received a letter inviting them to an international tournament," she announced, much to the surprise of the three.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's have a practice," Katyusha said, jumping out of bed and started walking out of the room, unaware that she is still in her pajamas.

* * *

 **12: 00 pm  
Port entrance of the island of Guam Saunders University's Carrier** _**USS George Washington**_

In the heat of the afternoon sun, hundreds of people, along with dozens of cars and trucks, patiently stood in one of the slip ports in the island of Guam, watching as the gigantic _USS George Washington_ slowly entered the port. Amongst the people, wearing a totally not suspicious Groucho mustache, a small brown headed girl was so small that she was difficult to spot in the sea of people waiting to board the school carrier. After a few more minutes the anchor has been dropped and the docking is complete, the stream of people going into and from the ship intermingle as they hurry to their destination. Away from the crowd, casually sitting nearby on her Willys MB Jeep, a girl chewed gum as she scanned, behind a pair of black sunglasses, the people boarding the ship. Her tomboyish haircut earned the looks of a few passers-by. When she found who she looking for, she honked the jeep's horn, earning her more strange looks from passers-by.

The Grouchomustachedd girl made her way to the jeep, threw her bag on the back and slumped on the passenger seat, tired. The other girl removed her sunglasses and started the engine, speeding off.

"You took your time, Arisa, I thought you've been caught," the tomboyish girl said as she unwrapped a piece of chewing gum and threw the wrapper to the floor.

"Nah, just got delayed at the airport and did you eat my Twinkie?" Arisa removed her disguise and opened the glove box of the Jeep, looking for her saved up treat.

"It was Kay," the Firefly gunner couldn't help but smile, giving her away.

"Naomi!" the freckled girl looked up to the taller one and started berating nonsense, even occasionally bringing up the word, "Oarai", but other than that, Naomi didn't hear anything else and she didn't bother.

"Now you know why Takashi doesn't love." Naomi laughed as she turned a corner.

The Headquarters for both the Saunders University Airlift Division and the Saunders University Tankery Division came into view, nicknamed playfully by many as the _Blonde House_ , an allusion to the blonde girl who led not only Saunders' air wing but also its Senshado programme, the HQ was an exact replica of the house of the Chief Executive found in Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington DC. To prevent the trouble of having two headquarters, Kay just split the _Blonde House_ into two, with the East Wing being allocated to the Airlift Division and the West to the tanker girls.

Naomi and Arisa drove on, bypassing the security checkpoints because the MPs knew them by sight, circumnavigating the large circular fountain in front of the house, its water reflecting the fierce afternoon sunlight. The Jeep came to a halt in front of a set of stairs and the two jumped off, Naomi gave the keys to a waiting valet and said: "Not one scratch." The valet drove away and the pair walked the flight of stairs towards the door, where two girls wearing tweed jackets and black short skirt with matching black tie opened the door for them. The jackets did little to conceal the bulge of pistols and Arisa voiced her opinion about this when they reached the corridors, where she was sure they are not within the earshot of the guards.

"I know we are an American themed school but isn't this a step too far?" she said, struggling to keep up with Naomi's pace, who made bigger strides than her.

"Tell that to Kay, not me and besides it wouldn't even kill you, the best thing it can do is knock you unconscious." The taller girl replied as they reach an ornate oak door with the bronze plaque with the words "Oval Office". Naomi knocked on the door, irritating Arisa who was about to do the same.

A cheerful "Come In." came from the room and Naomi opened the door, blinding her and co-vice commander with bright light.

The office was illuminated by the midday sunlight, passing through three large windows behind the polished oak desk made from the wood of _Date Maru_ , the first ever Japanese galleon ship. Flagpoles containing the school's flag and the banners of both the Airlift division and the Senshado team are also behind the desk.

The wall has been lined with paintings including a portrait of the founder of Saunders Prep University, a painting of pre-war Nagasaki, and a painting of _Cobra King_ , a M4A3E2 Jumbo, who was the first tank to enter the town of Bastogne, where the 101st Airborne Division had been surrounded during the Battle of the Bulge.

With the desk included, the office was furnished nicely with two couches parallel to each other, with a glass coffee table in the middle, underneath all is a lush carpet.

"Hey you two, just in time for the movie." Kay opened a microwave and withdrew a large bowl filled with popcorn.

"What movie are you talking about? Also what flavor is that?" Arisa asked as she threw her bag on the floor and lied on the couch.

"Salted Caramel and Naomi stop going after my Coke stash, you can have the Pepsis though." The blonde sat down at the other couch and pressed a button on a remote, causing a projector and a projector screen to slowly come down from the ceiling.

"You made it sound like drugs" the brown haired girl retorted as she lies face down on the sofa. "And throw me a Mountain Dew, will you? She added as she saw the _Sniper of Saunders_ opened a cabinet on the far side of the wall, which was actually a mini fridge and the tomboyish girl came around with a can of Sprite.

A can of Mountain Dew came soaring through the office and hit the small girl right in the back of her head, causing her to moan in pain and the other two to burst out laughing.

"Ouch, that hurts." Arisa stood up and went into one of her famous tirades."

"Okay, okay shut up, just direct your eyes to the screen," Kay said as she pressed another button on the remote, while the freckled girl sulkily sat down.

The name of their school, "Saunders University Preparatory School" flashed on the screen, in front of a tank background, along with the words "Charge!" and "True Account"

"Kay, what the heck is this?" Arisa asked as she popped open the can of soda that was thrown at her.

Kay smiled and replied, "You'll see.", while munching on some popcorn.

Their school ship, the USS George Washington, suddenly appeared on the screen

"But that's our school ship," Arisa began, but she was hushed by Naomi who said, "We know, now shut up,"

The next frame showed the entrance of their school and the commentary began.

" _Right now, I'm at Saunders University Preparatory School!_ " the voice said.

"That voice….." Arisa said, standing up.

The camera panned up and a girl with fluffy light brown hair and equally brown eyes appeared. " _I'm gonna infiltrate them now!_ " she said.

"Sergeant Oddball? Naomi questioned, as she opened a bag of Doritos.

"Yukari Akiyama's infiltration video, how did you get a hold of this?" Arisa asked in disbelief.

"It was given to me by a friend of mine."

" _Since my infiltration was successful, I'll change into a Saunders uniform."_ The girl on the screen said and was about to take off her blouse before she turned off the camera.

"Where did she got our school's uniform from anyway?" Kay asked.

"From where we got theirs, on the Internet," Naomi replied.

The scene changed and revealed a warehouse with lines of different variants of Sherman tanks. " _This is amazing_! A lot of Shermans in neat rows! Sergeant Oddball exclaimed.

"We should really increase the security in the tank shed, it was lucky she never found out about the secret storage room," Arisa said.

The scene changed again and the heads of dozens of girls were projected onto the screen as three familiar girls took the stage.

"Oi that's the three of us!" the freckled girl began.

The three remembered the events quite well, especially when Naomi asked what's her unit and rank, in which the girl replied, "6th Armoured Division! Sergeant Oddball, third class!" Kay laughed loudly and before they knew it, the credits rolled in.

"Say Arisa, your loader, Helmet-chan-" the blonde began.

"Alyssa, you mean," Arisa said, remembering her redheaded loader.

"Yeah her, she submitted the report from your department, it looks like various schools received supplements to their tank forces".

"Oh yeah, I forgot to submit that."

"Anyway, it looks like Kuro has a brand new Panther II while as usual, we didn't manage to penetrate Jatkotsa's thick veil of secrecy.

"She also handed over the performance review for the brand new Jumbos," Kay waved a folder.

"Are going to field it in the exhibition match?" Arisa asked.

"Of course," Kay answered in straight English.

"Say don't you think it is unwise to be so far from Japan when we would have a match next week? Naomi asked as she still ate Dorito chips.

"Don't worry we can always take the Galaxy," Kay replied "Also Arisa before I forgot, did you managed to deliver the *thing*?" the blonde added.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Arisa replied

* * *

 **12:00pm**  
 **58km from the island of Saipan Chi-Ha-Tan Academy's carrier Akagi**

In the warm waters of the Pacific, the carrier _Akagi_ slowly plows through the waves, not in a hurry, just like one of the inhabitants on her deck. On one of the many streets crisscrossing through the town, a lone girl leisurely rides her motorcycle. The girl stopped in front of the library, one of the largest in the country, and dismounted from _Uranus_ , her motorcycle, and removed her custom-made black helmet, revealing her long dark brown hair and brown eyes, which mesmerized people from around the nation.

"Commander Nishi!" someone called out, she turned around and saw a small bespectacled girl with long black hair tied in braids hidden under a helmet running towards her.

"Ah, Fukuda perfect timing, why don't you ride with me?" she greeted the girl as she catches her breath.

"Really, commander?" Fukuda's eyes brighten up as she saw herself putting her hands around her commander's waist.

"Yes, and put on this helmet for your safety." Fukuda wore the helmet, mounted _Uranus_ with Nishi and the two rode away.

"The engineering department wasn't able to comply with the number of tanks we requested." Fukuda began, stating the report she just finished memorizing.

"Why is that?" Nishi asked, knowing fully well the answer.

"Most of the necessary steel required to make the tanks were often diverted to making ships for schools like Yokosuka Girl's Marine High School, hence the delay in production in our side.

"How many did they manage to deliver?"

Fukuda thought for a moment, "One Type 1 Chi-He Medium Tank and a Type 3 Ho-Ni III, that's it."

"Guess we have to make do," Nishi stopped in-front of Chi-Ha-Tan's dojo, and the two dismounted from the motorcycle.

The clashing of steel swords along with the random shouts of "Hiya!" and screams of pain broke the otherwise tranquil environment of the dojo and, Nishi, followed by Fukuda, began walking around the compound, quietly as to not disturb those who are meditating. After walking around for what seems like hours, they managed to find the person they are looking for. Sitting in the corner of the dojo's armory, next to rows of neatly arranged katana swords and naginata spears, they found a long-haired girl with her black colored hair tied in a braid with a white ribbon. The girl in question was fast asleep, wearing a kimono and holding her gunto sword. She was Tamada, who was the Vice-commander of the Chi-Ha-Tan Academy's Senshado Team, and Nishi and Fukuda are carefully nudging her awake.

The girl suddenly stood up in a drunk-like manner and she unsheathed her katana. "You've picked the wrong girl, fools!" the girl swung her sword wildly, her reddish-brown eyes were lit with fire. Nishi managed to dodge the sword slashes while Fukuda made a run for it.

"Tamada, calm down it's just me and Fukuda," Nishi called out, while she warily watched out for the sharp blade being swung, remembering the embarrassing time when she was almost hit by it and thinking Tamada's staging a coup.

"Commander, I'm very sorry, please accept this sword as a token of my sincere apology." The black haired girl came to her senses, bowed and offered her sheathed sword to her senior officer.

"That wouldn't be needed, now where could Fukuda be?" Nishi asked, remembering how the little girl ran off.

"How about we go look for her?" Tamada suggested.

"Great idea, as expected of you Tamada." Nishi praised her Vice-Commander.

The pair began to explore the barely lit corridors of the dojo, the afternoon sunlight barely illuminating the place. After a while the two of them emerge outside, revealing an elegant courtyard, with trays planted with carefully clipped bonsai plants, a small koi pond and a footbridge across it. Scattered around the gardens are bushes filled with chrysanthemum flowers, near one stands two persons, like a mother and daughter pair. The taller one wore a kimono, holding a rake, used to form patterns on the white sands of the _ginshanada_ of the garden, while the smaller one wore the standard Chi-Ha-Tan Senshado uniform.

"Ah Commander, are you looking for little Fukuda here, I managed to bump into her." The taller one said, her hair tied into two victory rolls, unlike everybody's simplistic hairstyle.

"Hosomi, we are in your debt for helping our little one," Nishi replied.

"Fukuda-chan _sumimasen_ , I didn't mean to scare you away" Tamada apologized

"It's alright Tamada-senpai and _arigato_ Hosomi-senpai," Fukuda said cheerfully.

"No problem, Fukuda, if you want more candy, you can just ask for more," Hosomi winked as she whisked a piece of candy from one of her hair rolls. "Also Nishi-sama, I found this inside one of the lanterns on the stone pathway." She handed a small piece of paper.

"Hmmmmmm what does it say?" The trio looked at the content of the paper, with Fukuda and Tamada looking over Nishi's shoulder.

20XX.10.2

9:00 JST

Yokohama Training Grounds

 _Be there_

 _-K_

"Who do you think gave this commander?" Tamada asked.

"What do you think will happen there Nishi-senpai?" Fukuda thought aloud.

"Only one way to find out," Nishi said as she pocketed the invitation.

* * *

 **1:00 pm  
** **Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean** **Oarai Girls Academy's Carrier** ** _Zuikaku_**

The smoke inside the room is too thick to determine the speaker but another voice chopped through the darkness,

"Oi, Maki-chan we shouldn't be too harsh on them," a meek voice said.

"They just blew off our front door, what do you expect Kayo-chin," another girl argued.

"Rin, come with me and whoever is in there don't you think of doing anything funny." An authoritative voice commanded.

"Miporin, what are we going to do," Saori said, her voice quivering with fear.

"We have to defend ourselves." Hana picked up a lead pipe and raised it, ready to strike.

"Luckily, I brought this," Yukari unsheathed a stiletto knife and got into position.

"I'm Nishizumi Miho and we apologized for blowing your door, we were just looking for tanks," Miho apologized

The smoke cleared out partially to reveal three silhouettes. They wore the same uniform they are wearing, the only difference is that they are holding WW2-era guns.

"Nishizumi? Did Kuromorime suddenly invade us while we were underground?" one of the girls asked, playing with her PPSH-41 drum mag SMG.

"Tanks? Did Ooarai revive the Senshado team again?" another one meekly asked, her hands shaking visibly, it's a miracle she hasn't dropped her British Sten gun yet.

"I'm Nishikino Maki, and what do you think you're doing blowing up our door?" a redheaded girl said as she leveled her MP40 submachine gun at them.

Yukari stepped in front, "It's my fault, I'm Akiyama Yukari and we were just looking for clues about the Oarai Tankery Club." she explained, her head bowed low.

"Huh, that's strange." the girl holding the PPSH-41 said, lowering her gun.

"Why is that? Saori asked.

"Because we are the last members of that club," the shakily armed girl replied.

* * *

 **Author's Note.**

This has been quite a hard write since I was losing motivation to finish this up, but I made it through so hope you enjoy reading this and see you all next time!

* * *

 **Edit: 3/21/19**

Added lines, corrected some grammatical errors and changed the guns of the three girls in the end.


	5. Chapter 4: Bad things come in threes

**Ohayou!**

 **Finally, after procrastinating for many months, I have managed to finish this chapter up. Ironically, next week is our midterms and here I am writing fanfics lol.**

 **But that's enough about me, and wihout further ado, I present to you Chapter 4. And as always, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Bad things come in threes**

 **1:00 pm**

 **Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean**

 **Oarai Girls Academy's Carrier** _ **Zuikaku**_

"What?" Hana said, lowering her improvised weapon.

"You heard us right, now where was I? Oh why are you looking for us, and haven't you heard of knocking before?" the girl who introduced herself as Maki said as she raised her MP40 again.

"We apologized for breaking down your door. We were just looking for your organization in the hopes that we can find more tanks so that our chances in the tournament will improve." Mako said, suddenly awake because of all the action going around her.

"First and foremost, isn't tankery banned by the student council and second whi-" the red-headed girl was saying when a loud bang came from her side, followed by a chorus of screaming in front of her. Saori suddenly fell down to the ground with a thud among the shell-shocked faces of her teammates.

"Jesus Christ!" Yukari reacted as she unsheathed her knife, ready to attack.

"Oh, no…." Hana silently said as she cradled in her arm an unconscious Saori, trying to hold back tears.

"You bloody wankers!" Mako, coming back to her senses, rushed the three girls in front of her, murderous intent gleaming in her eye. She almost made her way to them but Miho held her back.

"Mako-san, No! You'll only make the situation worse," Miho said, trying to calm down the black haired girl. Meanwhile, swallowing her anger, Yukari went down and assess the unconscious radio operator's situation.

"Miho let me go! I'll make those pieces of shit pay for what they did to her," Mako screamed, clawing her way out of her commander's clutches.

A burst of fire suddenly cut through the noise and effectively silenced the group, the redhead girl looked furious while holding a still smoking MP-40 pointed at the ceiling.

"Hanayo, step forward and apologize." Maki said, her voice filled with authority.

The small shy girl stepped forward, having just picked up her submachine gun.

"Sumimasen everyone, I'm Koizumi Hanayo, and I accidentally dropped my gun. Again I'm sorry." The brown haired girl apologized, bowing repeatedly while clutching her gun close to her chest.

"Yeah, early Sten guns were known for accidentally discharging when dropped." Yukari chimed in, standing up.

"Not helping Akiyama-san," Miho pointed out as she still held off Mako from launching herself into the trio.

"Oh Nishizumi-dono, I forgot to mention, Takebe-dono isn't dead yet, she's just unconscious from a high-velocity rubber bullet," Yukari explained as she picked up the round that started it all.

As if right on cue, the girl in question suddenly rose up. "Ouch, what happened," Saori said. "Why does my head hurt so much," she mumbled. Mako suddenly broke into a run and hugged the orange haired girl. "I thought you're dead…."

"Yeah, we forgot to mention that these guns fired non-lethal rounds and Kayo-chin here is dead clumsy, I'm Hoshizora Rin by the way, nyaa~." The girl with the short orange hair said as she slid the safety bolt on her PPSH-41.

"If we all put our weapons away and come inside, maybe we can have a proper chat." Maki slung her SMG and her two subordinates followed suit.

"How can we trust you to not 'accidentally' shoot us again?" Mako stood up, her eyes red from crying into her friend's shoulder.

"Then here-" Maki said as she unslung her MP-40 and gave it to the Panzer IV's driver. "-you look like a sensible enough person, while this here should be given to the Nishizumi." She removed her Luger P08 from its holster and threw it to Miho, who caught it effortlessly.

Meanwhile, Rin and Hanayo gave their guns to Hana and Yukari respectively.

Yukari's eyes widen as she received the gun. "Whoa a real-life PPSH-41 or the Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagin, with the signature drum magazine filled with 71 rounds of 7.62x25mm Tokarev."

Rin winked and said, "Careful not to drop my papasha." Yukari can't help but giggle, getting the reference.

Meanwhile, Hana removed the British SMG's magazine to prevent any more accidental discharges.

"If that's all settled with, please follow us," Hanayo said as the trio walked forward, taking the group through tall stacks of crates, a wall filled with metal drums and other unrecognizable junk.

"How did you guys end up here underground," Hana asked, avoiding a small puddle made from water dripping from the ceiling.

"We volunteered to stay back here, someone needed to tend the tanks after all" Hanayo replied, looking back at the questioner, missed a low hanging pipe and smacked her head. "Owwwwww!"

"Are you alright?" Saori asked as she stopped so that she doesn't bump into the brunette.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she looked up, and when she saw it was the girl she accidentally shot, she asked. "Aren't you going to be mad at me, as your friend over here did," she mentioned, pointing to the again sleepy Mako.

"Ahhhh no worries, it's just an accident, and don't worry about her, she's just overprotective," Saori said patting Mako's head.

As the group continued its walk, they came across a rusty wreck. "Oh my God, is that a dual turreted 7TP DW?!" Yukari exclaimed as she made her way to her favorite tank.

"Sure it is nyah," Rin said, as she picked up a dusty old tennis ball and began bouncing it to the walls.

"Where did this tank come from?" Mako asked, eyeing Yukari jumping inside the rust covered Polish tank.

"This was custom made in a factory in Germany after we presented the blueprints of the tank. We had it shipped to Oarai before we discreetly sneaked it onboard during the port calls. Maki explained as one of the turrets of the 7TP DW noisily rotated.

"But where did you get the funding to do all that, surely not it doesn't come that cheap?" Hana inquired, knowing the suspected rumors about where the money came from.

"We all had a hand in the finances but most came from my own pocket," Maki said as she said as the fluffy haired girl jumped out the first turret and went to another, all greasy and dirty.

"From your own pocket, are you that rich or something?" Saori questioned.

"Yeah, she's the heiress of one of the largest hospital groups in the country. Although she gave most of it to her relatives, she still receives a healthy stipend every month. Rin excitedly explained.

"Rin, you're giving too much away!" Hanayo scolded her.

"Sumimasen..." Rin apologized.

"The Nishikino Medical Group?" Mako said, making the connection.

"Yup, the corporation has been in my family for generations." Maki finally replied, the group suddenly came to a stop in front of a giant brick wall. "We're here."

"What do you mean exactly by here also is that your only tank?" Saori asked, pointing at the tank that still contains the fluff.

"Of course not, Rin, if you will" Maki waved her hand at her subordinate.

Rin started messing around with the nearby shelves till she found what she was looking for; a hidden switch. She pressed it and stood aside for the process to finish.

Loud mechanical noises started emanating in front of them, as unseen gears and cogs split the wall before their very eyes.

As the brick wall parted, a large room came into view. Even though they are underground, the afternoon sun provided ample light, passing through large industrial skylights.

"Ara ara," Hana said in surprised, as she registered the scene in front of her.

A row of military vehicles laid in front of them, all of them covered by tarp or junk. Most of them are one way or another, tanks, but only to some extent, there's even one that looks like a Crusader tank on wheels. On the other side of the room a weird assortment of furniture, barrels and boxes were located, all decorated with some garnish, including some once colorful posters of girls in dresses, now fading and weathered.

"Yukarin, are you coming?" Miho called out to her loader.

"Coming Nishizumi-dono," Yukari said as she climbed out of the tank, now all dirty with rust and grease.

"Would you like some wipes Akiyama-san?" Anglerfish team's gunner produced some from her back pocket.

"Arigato, Isuzu-dono," the fluff said as she wiped her face and arms. The group carried on inside and once everyone is inside, the shy-looking girl pressed a button on the wall to close it again.

"Kayo-chin, can you please prepare refreshments for our guests? And Rin, will you be so kind as to collect all the firearms and store them away? Maki ordered as both went away to do their tasks.

"How long have you guys been living here? Saori asked, gently lowering the sleeping girl on her back to a worn-out leather sofa.

"About three years? I don't exactly remember." Rin answered, poking her head out of a closet where she stow the guns away.

"Two and a half years to be exact," Maki corrected, who had just entered the room, removing her steel helmet, revealing more of her glossy red hair.

The smell of something sweet pervaded through the air, clashing violent with the smell of rust and machine oil coming from the machinery in the room. "Here's the food, bon appetite!" Hanayo said, coming in with a platter of mitarashi dango and some green tea.

"Arigato Gozaimasu!" the Ankou girls said, minus Mako, who just slightly opened her eyes, took one and bit off one of the small mocha balls.

"That's quite rude of you!" Saori scolded the lethargic girl who finished her dango without missing a beat.

"So how does it taste like? Hanayo asked, nervously twirling her bamboo stick.

Mako suddenly sat up and a single tear drop rolled from her right eye.

"T-too sweet?" the blonde girl stuttered.

"Delicious….." Mako finally said.

While the two group laughs off Mako's overdramatic reaction, Yukari slipped away silently and started poking around tanks. On one of the tallest piles, she slightly lifted the tarp to reveal a tank chassis incorporating the torsion bar design and on the rear end of the tank, the iconic soviet fuel tank.

Yukari thought to her, judging by the height it wasn't tall enough to be a KV-2 nor was it short enough to be a regular T-34. It was also not possible to be from the IS series since the chassis doesn't match one from the IS family. So it could possibly be a KV-1, or some other rare variation like the KV-1S or even the KV-85.

To narrow down the possible matches, she checked the turret ring of the Soviet tank. There! The turret ring's diameter was a lot bigger than a KV-1 or KV-1S. So she was sure this was a KV-85 heavy tank.

As she was celebrating her small success, she felt cold metal pressing against her nape and immediately tried to turn around. "I won't do that if I were you," a familiar voice said. Yukari couldn't help but shudder as Rin cocked the hammer of her revolver.

* * *

 **AN: I know it's too short but it serves to keep the story flowing. And besides, writer's block and laziness is one deadly combination.**

 **I would like to extend my thanks to my fellow writers in our Discord server for lending a hand in times of need. You should probably go visit their works too, the likes of Monty, Richie, Sharky and our server overlord, Christopher.**

 **And of course, I would like to thank you too my dear readers for supporting**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, any questions and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And if you find this story interesting, don't be shy to fav and follow.**

 **Well, that sums up today's update, till next time.**

 **Bye-bye!**


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